Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Translator: Penny
Episode 37: Kidnapping (Caution: Bloodshed)
Episode 37: Kidnapping (Warning: Graphic Violence)
"Ugh... where am I?"
"You're awake?"
Kang A-yul's eyes slowly fluttered open as he lay comfortably asleep on my lap.
Ah, that was fun while it lasted.
The rare experience of pinching and prodding Kang A-yul's cheeks while he was unconscious was truly precious. Absolutely, no doubt about it.
Kang A-yul's gaze slowly shifted to meet mine. From his perspective, my face and mana pouch must have been clearly visible against the sky. Since he wasn't lying face-down, he'd realize he was using my lap as a pillow within a few seconds.
"................!!!!"
"Whoa!"
"Oh my, I would have enjoyed that even more."
"W-w-what is this...?!"
"What do you mean? I couldn't possibly let the Student Council Vice President sleep on that crumbling floor, so I graciously offered my lap as a pillow."
When I patted Kang A-yul's thigh, her face instantly flushed as red as her hair.
Tap-tap!
Without a backward glance, Kang A-yul bolted away. But her escape led her straight to her fallen sword...
Crash! Bang!
"Ugh!"
"Oh my, such a rare sight to behold."
Click!
"Don't worry, Miss Seo-yun. I've already taken a photo, so you can rest assured."
"Typical Se-a."
Lee Seo-yun and I chuckled as we approached the sprawled Kang A-yul.
Only after her comical fall did she seem to regain her composure. Her green eyes, now back to their usual color, glared at me. The first words she spat out were...
"We'll settle this in the Student Council President Election. I'll win this time, no matter what."
An unexpected declaration of renewed challenge.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"Well, considering my duties as Student Council President and everything... this was probably an unreasonable request. Thank you for agreeing to it."
There was a hint of gratitude in his voice.
Perhaps he noticed how my entire body was trembling from the strain.
"...First, we should hurry and repair the arena."
"Right, if we all work together, it'll be done in no time..."
"Have you forgotten I'm a Psychokinetic? Go ahead and head up first. I'll finish this in ten seconds."
The arena's materials were enchanted with special magic that automatically repaired them after a certain period. We could have left the debris as is, but placing the broken fragments back in their original positions would exponentially accelerate the restoration process. So, I needed to put everything back before heading up.
"Alright. I'm going then. Lee Seo-yun, you hurry up and follow."
"Sure. See you tomorrow, Miss Se-a."
"Yes, both of you should get back safely."
I barely managed to hold back until the two who left first closed the door behind them.
Click
As soon as the door shut...
"Ugh...!"
I vomited dark crimson blood from the corner of my mouth.
What's going on? I definitely didn't use Mephisto's remains.
I hadn't done anything that should have strained my body. With my output suppressed, the chances of me losing control should have been close to zero.
Thud!
"...Ugh?!"
It felt as if someone had clenched my heart in their fist. An excruciating pain shot through my chest.
Thump!
"Ggggh...!"
Yun Se-a's body had endured countless torments, but her heart seemed unaccustomed to such agony.
The sudden, overwhelming pain left me unable to even stand.
Whoosh!
"............!!"
Suddenly, something flew from the audience seats at incredible speed.
Thud!
"........!"
Fortunately, I used psychokinesis to move my body, preventing the ominous object from piercing me.
What the hell was that?!
There might be constraints preventing me from destroying the earring.
But in this situation, who cares about risks? Survival comes first.
Crack!
Since this is the Academy, Eve should arrive in about a minute...!
I just need to hold out that long!
Pew!
"....!"
I can't predict the number of enemies. If it's just one attacker, I'd immediately fly into the audience seats to confront them. But what if there are two?
One enemy immediately drew my attention, and before I could react, two or three others exploited the gap, instantly ending my game. I couldn't return home.
Still, this symptom... It feels strangely familiar.
It bore a striking resemblance to the curse used by a cadet targeting Ecclesia.
Though single-use, it was a magical tool capable of cursing enemies from afar, inflicting near-fatal agony. With this, I could easily finish off wounded enemies who managed to escape with a sliver of health.
But how?
The cursed doll Yun Se-a had personally crafted and given to a cadet jealous of Ecclesia in the original story... There's no way it could be used against me.
Whether the curse's effects had worn off or the environment was no longer conducive to its use, my heart was no longer being constricted. Still, if these shocks continued, I truly had no way to defend myself.
Damn it, why won't this earring come off?!
Thud!
"Aaaah!"
I felt something pierce my neck. As my vision rapidly darkened, I desperately struggled to rise.
But having just barely evaded the unidentified attack moments ago, I knew I had no chance of dodging it now. Deploying Constellation Magic in this state was impossible.
Thud!
Thud!
My consciousness sank like a stone into the abyss.
Slap!
My eyes snapped open, my cheek stinging.
Damn, my mouth is gagged... and I'm completely restrained.
How could something like this happen at the Academy? It's baffling.
At least enemies of this type usually only show up after I've rescued Yun Se-a safely, like the assassins Mephisto sends...
"Stop thinking."
Thud!
"Ugh?!"
Crash!
A fist suddenly appeared from the darkness and slammed into my abdomen.
As I fell over in the chair, cold water splashed directly onto the back of my head. At least I knew this wasn't an ordinary place.
Damn it, where am I? I don't remember any place like this in the original story...
Then, I finally realized the source of the unsettling feeling that had been nagging at me.
Clink!
"............!!!"
This is...
"Just now noticing your wrists, Sister?"
And from the pitch-black darkness, someone stepped forward.
"⬛️⬛️!"
"Leave this to me and go, ⬛️⬛️⬛️. You have someone to protect, don't you?"
"⬛️⬛️, the truth is, I..."
"Ugh, ughhh!!"
"Chairman... no, what kind of person was my Sister?"
A voice so familiar.
"I missed you so much. I wanted to tear you limb from limb."
But the face wasn't the face I longed to see at all...
".........Ugh?!"
Yu... Eun-ha?!
Her eyes burned with hatred, the gaze of a vengeful spirit consumed by vengeance.
Clearly, Yu Eun-ha hadn't even touched me...
In the original story, Yu Eun-ha was the target of Yun Se-a's relentless attacks, driven by jealousy over Yun Seong-ho's exclusive affection. However, her encounter with the Protagonist freed her from Yun Se-a's clutches, allowing her to grow into a joker card capable of defeating Yun Se-a.
I never knew she could make such a face.
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"Gah... Ugh... Aaaah!"
The second strike targeted her leg. A searing pain erupted as if she'd been slashed by something razor-sharp, and she felt something draining away from her.
"The second is revenge for killing the man who was like a father to me."
Damn it, if this much blood keeps flowing out...
This level of pain should be nothing to her. Why did it hurt so much?
"Ah, your sister's ability won't activate. I've bound her with Mana-Sealing Handcuffs."
"...?!"
Mana-Sealing Handcuffs... they're a Hidden Piece crafted from materials found in the Target Gates just before The Yun Se-a Incident...
"Ah, Sister, you don't need to know the origin of this item. You're going to die anyway... But if you must know, I utilized knowledge from a previous timeline."
This was even more incomprehensible than the sudden news of her abduction.
This can't be real.
How could Yu Eun-ha possibly know about the Hidden Piece from the original story?
"You may be seeing me for the first time, Sister, but I... died by your hand in the distant future."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. I'm a Regressor—someone who's returned to this timeline from far in the future."
Yu Eun-ha began explaining her actions one by one, as if boasting about her accomplishments.
"In my first life, I was Yun Seong-ho's daughter—well, my adoptive father's recommendation led to my adoption as the Yuseong Group's adopted daughter."
"...So?"
"I tried to get along with my sisters, but my eldest sister had already left home, and my sister tormented me relentlessly. Then I met Jian at the Academy, and we enjoyed our school days together... until we all died. At my sister's hands."
"That... that's..."
"In my second life, I wasn't bullied at home. Before I could even join the Yuseong Group, my sister killed our father, preventing me from entering the group and forcing me to attend the Academy. There, I fought assassins hired by my sister until my weapons ran out, and I died again."
"N-no, that's not true! Yun Seong-ho, that bastard, was just trying to use you..."
Whack!
"Don't insult my father!"
"...Gah!"
That attack nearly killed me.
If she'd put just a little more force into it... my head would have been severed from my body.
My head was spinning so badly that Yu Eun-ha's words barely registered, but what she said...
"And in her final, third life... my sister, who was known as the kindest person and the best Student Council President, accepted the devil's power... slaughtered everyone in the Academy, and destroyed the world. Just like now, wearing that mask."
...What?!
That was enough to completely shatter my composure.